Metal trimming for overalls



May 25, 1943. F. E. MEFFORD METALTR IMM ING FOR OVERALLS Filed Nov. 19, 1942 Patented May 25, 1943 UNITED. STATES] PATENT I OFFICE 12 Claims.

My invention relates in general to metal trimmings for garments and particularly to shoulder strap take ups and button loops such as is normally used with bib overalls and the like.

My object is to provide a device of this character made of a single piece of wire and provided with means and facilities normally to lock the device in engagement with the button with which it is normally used and to provide a take up for the shoulder strap with which it is normally used. Other objects will appear as the description progresses.

Figure 1 represents a front view of one embodiment of the invention having a take up; Fig. 2, a front view of a modification having no take up; Fig. 3, a front view showing the embodiment of Fig. 2 as it appears when the sides are squeezed inwardly; Fig. 4, a front view of a fragment of an overall bib and the device connected thereto and attached to a shoulder strap; Fig. 5, 1

a side view showing the manner in which the shoulder strap is attached to the device; Fig. 6,'

a side view showing the device and the relative position of the shoulder strap when effective length of the strap is to be increased; and Fig. 7,

a side view of a button.

Although I show the preferred embodiments of my invention I do not thereby limit myself to the forms shown but wish it'understood that these forms come within the scope of the invention 1:

and that details of construction may be altered within the scope of what hereinafter is claimed without departing from the spirit of the inven tiona The modification shown in Figs. 2 and '3 is the same in all respects as the device shown in Fig. 1 except it has but one keeper;

The embodiment shown 1n Figure l consists of a single piece of wire having its middle portion formed into a pair of cooperating laterally disposed oblong shoulder strap keepers A- -B to pro i vide' a shoulder strap take up, and its end portions formed into a pair of cooperating longitudi v nally disposed button loops C- D depending from said keepers with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole when the loops are in normal positions. V I

Keeper A is formed of substantially a full coil having two ends|2 and two sides Keeper B is formed of substantially onehalf coilhaving 2 two ends 6! and one side 8.

The side 6 of loop 0 integrally depends from y the end 1 of keeper B and is provided at its blind with a'button shank'receiving'portion Ill, one

half the periphery of which conforms substantially to a semicircle 'on one side of the median line of the device and to a tangent to said half circle on the opposite side of said median line.

,;The side 1 contiguous to the semicircle is provided" with a shoulder l I at the point where the half circle terminates and the side 1 extends from the shoulder II upward and outward, terminating in an eye I 3 which slidably embraces the ends I6 of the keepers A-B, respectively.

The side 9' of loop D extends downward'from the end I of keeper'A and is provided at the lower end with a button shank receiving portion IDA similar to the portion In of loop C and with a Lshoulder I IA similar to the shoulder II of loop 0.

disposed one upon the other in reverse relation to locate the shoulders II and IIA on opposite sides of the median line of the device. reverse relation, the side e of loop 0 overlaps and extends beyond the adjacent side i of loop D, and

the opposite side gof loop D overlaps'and extends laterallybeyond the adjacent side i of loop C. Thisidispositionof the loops normally locates theshoulders I I-I IA in opposition and provides a substantially circular enclosure k smaller than the head I6 but larger than the shank ll of the button with which the device is normally used.

Fig. 4 illustrates the device in association with a shoulder strap I8 and connected to a button having a head l6 and a'shank IT attached to a fragment of an overall bib 20. In connecting I the device to the button, the head It is placed between the sides h of the loops and the device pulled upward. The force exerted will cause the "shank I1 to spread-the shoulders I I-I IA and to I enter the enclosure k permitting the shoulders to resume their normal. relative positions, thereby providing stops which prevent accidental detachmerit. from the button. If desired the temper of theiwire may be such that manual squeezing of thejsi des eg wi11 be necessary to connect the device to the button. Manual squeezing of the sides e .g swings the loops to the relative positions/shown in Fig. 3 and spaces the shoulders llllAi thereby permitting the button shank I7 to pass therebetweenand into the shank embracing portions. When pressure is released the resiliency of thewire returns the loops to normal relative positions. The sliding action of the eyes I3'l5 facilitates the swinging of the loops. As

In the indicated in Fig. 3, the eyes slide upward along the ends of the keeper when the sides of the loops are squeezed.

From the foregoing it will be seen that normally the temper of the wire maintains the shoulders ll-HA adjacent and prevents accidental detachment from the button and all that is necessary manually to detach is to squeeze the overlapping sides of the loops and slip thedeviee from the button.

The shoulder strap is threaded through the keepers as shown in Fig. 5. The shoulder strap may be adjusted for shorter effective length by pulling the free end through the keepers in the general direction of substantial parallelism with the plane of the device or at an angle thereto. To increase the effective length the strap may be drawn backward through the keepers at an angle to the plane of the device as illustrated in Fig. 6.

I claim:

1. A trimming for garments of the class described, consisting of an integral wire structure having a pair of keepers at the top formed of substantially one and one half coils to provide a take up for shoulder straps, and a pair of cooperating loops depending from said coils with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole, one side of each loop being integral with an end of a coil and the other side slidably connected to the opposite ends of the coils, the; loops being imposed one upon the other with each integral side extending laterally beyond the slidably connected side of the other loop to afford clearance for manually swinging said loops inwardly of the device.

2. A trimming for garments of the class described, consisting of a single piece of wire formed into an integral structure having a pair of cooperating keepers in substantial registration at the top of the device, and a pair of cooperating loops depending from said keepers and disposed one upon the other so that the side of one loop overlaps and extends laterally beyond the ad- J'acent side of the other loop to afford clearance for manually swinging said loops inwardly of the device, each loop being provided at the lower end with a stud receiving portion provided with a shoulder, the loops being disposed in reverse relation to locate the shoulders on opposite sides of the median line of the device, the longitudinal median lines of said loops being substantially parallel with each other and substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole when the loops are in normal relative positions.

3. A trimming for overalls consisting of a single piece of wire formed into substantially one and one half oblong coils to provide a take up, and a pair of cooperating loops depending from said coils and imposed one upon the other, each loop having a button shank receiving portion at the lower end substantially corresponding to a half circle and a tangent to said half circle, the side of each loop contiguous to the tangent being integralwith one end of a coil and the opposite side slidably connected to the ends of both coils, the loops being disposed in reverse relation to locate the half circular portions in opposite sides of the median line of the device, the longitudinal median lines of said loops being substantially parallel with each other and substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole when the loops are in normal relative positions.

4. A trimming for overall shoulder straps consisting of a single piece of wire formed into substantially one and one half oblong laterally disposed coils to provide a take up, and a pair of cooperating loops disposed one upon the other with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole and adapted to be swung inwardly, one end of each loop being integral with a coil and the other end slidably connected to a portion of the device on the opposite side, each loop being provided at the bottom with a button shank embracing portion substantially corresponding to semi-circle and a tangent to said semi-circle, the side of each loop opposite the tangent being provided with a return bend at the point where the semi-circle terminates and extended upward and outward to the slidable connection.

5. A trimming for overall shoulder straps consisting of a single piece of wire having its middle portion formed into a pair of cooperating laterally disposed shoulder strap keepers, and its end portions formed into a pair of cooperating button loops depending from said keepersand' imposed one upon the other, each loop being provided at its blind end with a button shank receiving' portion, one half the inside periphery of which conforms approximately to an arc of a circle having a diameter approximately equal to the diameter ofthe shank of the button with which the device is normally used, and the remainder corresponding to a tangent to said circle,

an inwardly extending shoulder being provided at the point where the arc ends on the side opposite to the tangent, the two loops normally being disposed so that the arcs are on opposite sides of the median line of the device, the longitudinal median lines of said loops being'substantially parallel with each other and substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as awhole when mal relative positions.

6. A trimming for overalls consisting of a single piece of wire the intermediate portion of which is formed into substantially one and one half coils to provide a take up, formed into a pair of cooperating button loops depending from said coils and imposed one upon the other with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal me-- dian line of the device as of each loop being of different contours but the two loops being of similarcontour and disposed in reverse relation so that the sides with similar contours are on opposite sides of the median line of the'device, each loop receiving portion at the keeper at the top and a depending from said keeper with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole, extending from an'end of the loops are in norand its end portionsa whole, the two sides having a button shank. lower end which coop erates with the shank receiving portion of the embrace the shank of a but integral structure having a laterally disposed pair of. cooperating loops device as a whole, the two sides of each keeperbeing dissimilar in contour, the major portion of one side being nearer the middle of the device and the loops being disposed so that the similar shaped sides are on opposite sides of the median line of the device so that one side of each loop overlaps and extends laterally beyond the adjacent side of the companion loop, each loop being provided at the lower end with a button shank embracing portion substantially corresponding to a half circle and a tangent to said half circle, the

tangent side of the loop being integral with an end of said keeper, and the half circle side slid ably connected to the other end of said keeper.

9. A trimming for overall shoulder straps consisting of wire formed into a strap receiving keeper and a pair of cooperating loops depending from said keeper with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole, the lower end of each loop being provided with a button shank embracing portion conforming approximately to a half circle and a tangent to said half circle, the side of each loop contiguous to the tangent being integral with one side of the keeper and the opposite side slidably connected to the other end of said keeper, the loops being imposed one upon the other so that a portion of one side of each loop overlaps and extends lat,-

erally beyond the adjacent side of the companion loop. I

10. A shoulder strap trimming consisting of a wire structure having a laterally disposed keeper at the top and a pair of cooperating loops depending from said keeper with their longitudinal median lines substantially coplanar with the longitudinal median line of the device as a whole, one side of each loop being integral with an end of said keeper and the other side slidably connected to the remaining end of said keeper, the loops being imposed one upon the other with a portion of said integral side overlapping and extending beyond the adjacent side of the companion loop to afford facilities to permit manual swinging of the loops inwardly, the lower portion of each loop being provided with a button shank,

receiving portion provided with a cooperating shoulder to lock said shank within the shank receiving portions.

11. The combination of a trimming for overalls consisting of a single piece of wire formed into a button loop including a pair of substantially registering oblong keepers consisting of substantially one and one half oblong coils formed in the intermediate portion of the piece of wire of which the device is made; and a shoulder strap run through both keepers and returned through one keeper.

12. In a button loop, a take up consisting of a pair of laterally disposed oblong keepers consisting of substantially one and one half oblong coils formed in the intermediate portion of the piece of wire of which the loop is made; and a strap run through both keepers and returned through one keeper to adjust the effective length of said strap.

FRED E. MEFFORD. 

